3 Systems Quoted - Need some help getting best choice!

Hello, and thank you for all the wonderful information and help from everyone.

I have a Kinetico water softener system that has worked less and less effectively since the moment I moved into our home 3 years ago. They have never once gotten it working after coming out twice and last time wanted us to by new resin tanks for only $1500 + some new valves and other equipment. I haven't used a bag of salt in 2 years out of 3 - so we are done with that company.

Currently I have very smelly water (both hot and cold), and the stains in the toilet and tubs are so bad. I have effectively cut out all white from my wardrobe because it stains my clothes after 1 wash. I did the slime test and it feels slimy to me, and if we let the toilet go a long time, it starts to build almost an algae-like orange residue. I've HAD IT!

We recently have received 3 different bids, but they all have different components, recommendations, and all have pros and cons.

The first is:

No new pressure tank (ours is small, not standard size) ---> 1 Micron Filter ---> New Softener ---> KDF Filter ---> House (We have an under sink RO filter).

Using a 1 micron is not a good idea. It is desized for smalll drinking water systems and not the whole house. KDF media has a tendency to cause problems. Greensand is a heavy media requiring good flow rates for proper backwash. If you do not have the proper flow rate, the media will foul and you are back to the same water. I to recommend chlorination, retention tank, carbon and soften last.

Anywho, this is the favorite so far as this quote includes the new pressure tank, chlorine injection (no contact tank - which I am asking why about), greensand filtration (I am asking about the flow rates), a carbon filter, and then a softener. Totals about $4700.

Any last suggestions or things to think about before we make our choice? Lemme know - and thank you very much for the replies!

The most common approach here (only 2,533 miles from you) is what Dittohead recommended and MagKarl eventually got to. The added benefit of chlorine is your wife will understand the disinfection aspect of it and appreciate it. Clorox is cheap, works great, and is WQA Gold-certified as a drinking water treatment chemical under NSF/ANSI 60 (http://12.2.248.199/goldseal/detail4.cfm?tableDefID=6&companyID=6123). You will probably need to flush and sterilize your home plumbing before putting the new system into service, to get rid of the accumulated iron bacteria.

The tannins will not be treated and are probably responsible for the tea colored water. In general, it can be ignored. Removal of Tannins is as simple as a "softener" type of system that has a anion resin that is engineered to treat Tannins specifically. Most people just live with it, rather than treat it if the color is slight. A simple RO at your kitchen sink will take care of the rest.

I agree that chlorine/GAC can remove tannins, but I always recommend a quick pilot test first to confirm that the type of tannin you are experiencing can be effectively treated with this process. Even a "jar" test is a good indicator. In some regions, the Tannin removal through Oxidation/absorption does not work too effectively, in other areas, it works better than Anion exchange. Check out this article for a very good explanation of Tannin removal. http://www.wwdmag.com/tannin-removal